United Kingdom/Spain: Educational Cooperation Agreement Signed

According to an announcement by the British Embassy in Madrid, the United Kingdom and Spain have signed a bilateral agreement relating to cooperation in matters of education and access to university and other higher education institutions which will enter into force on August 2, 2023. The agreement will allow students with UK qualifications (including A-levels under the UK national educational curriculum and those with equivalent qualifications) to attend universities in Spain without taking a Spanish general university entrance exam. Additional entry requirements will only be necessary for certain competitive courses, as was the case prior to Brexit. In the United Kingdom, this agreement mitigates one of the adverse impacts of Brexit by providing certainty to students with educational qualifications from the United Kingdom and Spain seeking to access each other’s universities, which was otherwise in doubt post-Brexit. On the Spanish side, although Spanish students have been able to enter UK universities and other higher education institutions without taking a UK university entrance exam, this agreement adds greater legal certainty for Spanish students seeking to study in the United Kingdom. The agreement is also part of an intention of both countries to expand UK-Spain bilateral relationships.